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'Slave-dealing and Slave-holding by Kutchees in Zanzibar' [117r] (22/63)
The record is made up of 1 file (28 folios). It was created in 1870. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
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19
Highness had allowed them to purchase slaves, and that it was not fair now to
punish them for what they had done innocently, believing that they were doing no
wrong. This argument I thought a fair one, for although I have never seen the
document by which either Colonel Pelly, or Colonel Playfair authorized the
natives of India under the Sultan's protection to possess slaves, they may, by
the policy of non-intervention adopted by these Officers, have led them and
the Sultan to infer that Her Majesty's Consul would not take cognizance of
anything they did ; and bearing in view the general and more important question
of the slave trade, and the policy of humouring His Highness in matters of
comparatively minor importance, I made known to Seyd Majid my readiness to
refer the matter to His Excellency the Governor in Council.
10. I have the honour to transmit to you, in translation, Seyd Majid's letter in
reply to mine on this subject.
11. I have reason to believe that His Highness would be satisfied if the
Kutchees who had become slave-owners through his instrumentality were in
demnified on being deprived of their slaves.
12. Under any circumstances, it will be necessary for me, before the receipt of
your reply, to ascertain the exact number of slaves held by these people, as I
apprehend an increase or a decrease in the number of the said slaves, according
to the chance they have of being indemnified or not.
13. Their craftiness is something beyond conception, nor would they hesitate to
get free men to swear that they were their slaves, if they had a chance of getting
paid for them.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) H. A. Churchill.
Copy.
Sir SlaVe Trade ' N0 ' 4 - Foreign Office. June 14th, 1867.
' Her Majesty's Government have read, with great satisfaction, your Despatch,
No 81/6 of the 15th March last, in which you report that the Sultan of Zanzibar
has, at your instigation, liberated 711 slaves who were working under contract with
Messrs.'Fraser & Co. , lu a u - u 4.u
The question respecting the employment of slaves by that firm having been thus
happilv settled, I have to instruct you to inform Messrs. Fraser that Her Majesty s
Government will not adopt any proceedings against them nor enforce any penalties
which thev have incurred by the violation of the British laws for the prevention of
the slave trade, provided they will undertake on their part to abstain tor the future
from all similar offences.
It will be your duty, however, while interfering as little as possible with any
arrangements that maybe made to prevent these newly emancipated negroes from
leading a life of idleness, to see that their freedom is really guaranteed to them,
and that they are not reduced again to slavery. . t j -
I avail myself of this opportunity to inquire whether any of Her Majesty s Indian
subiects in Zanzibar are in the habit of holding slaves, or of otherwise infringing
British laws for the suppression of the slave trade. . M . ,
You are, doubtless, aware that, a few years since Colonel Rigby, Her Ma J es ty 8
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
and Consul at Zanzibar, procured the release of a large number of
slaves who were held in bondage by British Indian ^jects sett edm Zanzibar, and
it would be satisfactory to know that the steps taken by Colonel Rigby have proved
effective to prevent a continuance of the abuse by Her Majesty s Indian subjects of
British laws for the suppression of slave trade. ^ ^
(Signed) Stanley.
Edwin Seward, Esq.
About this item
- Content
This file contains a selection of correspondence, extracts and reports regarding the involvement of British subjects from the Princely State of Kutch [Cutch] in the slave trade in Zanzibar and attempts by the British Government to end this involvement.
Much of the correspondence is from Britain's Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Zanzibar, Henry Adrian Churchill and Britain's Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Kutch, Major Alexander Young Shortt. This includes translated copies of correspondence between Churchill and the Sultan of Zanzibar, Seyd [Sayyid] Majid bin Said.
On folio 128, the file contains a proclamation issued by the ruler of Kutch, the Maharaja Dhiraj Mirza Maha Rao Shree Praguruljee, that warns his subjects in Kutch of the penalties of being engaged in the slave trade in general and specifically in Zanzibar.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (28 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged in rough chronological order.
A contents page is included on folio 108.
- Physical characteristics
Condition: the file is contained within a bound volume that contains a number of other files.
Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f 107, and terminates at f 134, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 5-134; these numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/B90
- Title
- 'Slave-dealing and Slave-holding by Kutchees in Zanzibar'
- Pages
- front, 107r:108v, 111r:135v, i-r:i-v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence